PNL leader, ultimatum for PSD: “The red line has been crossed. The blackmail on Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan is a political shame and a threat to the rule of law”

“PSD has crossed the red line. The blackmail on Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan is a political shame and a threat to the rule of law”, says deputy Alexandru Muraru, leader of PNL Iaşi, vice-president for the North-East zone within the party, in the context of increasing mutual attacks between the two formations in the governing coalition.

Muraru denounced, in a message published on his Facebook page, a “full blown” blackmail against the head of the government.

He states that Romania cannot be led “by fear or by threats” and believes that it is “time for the PSD to choose: it wants to be part of the reform or part of the problem”.

Recently, a series of tensions have arisen between the leaders of the governing coalition, on the background of the reform desired by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan in the local administration and on the subject of the draft law on the reform of magistrates' pensions. Following the criticism addressed to him from the PSD camp, Bolojan invited them to come up with other solutions, which they think are better, to Romania's problems, including the creation of a new government majority, following a no-confidence motion.

Alexandru Muraru's message:

• “What we see these days is no longer politics, it is full-blown blackmail. Lia Olguța Vasilescu's statements and PSD's orchestrated attacks on Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan are not simple “differences of opinion”. They are messages coming from the shadowy networks in the judiciary, which, through political interlopers, are trying to block state reform and maintain caste privileges.
• Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has the courage to do what others have only promised: to reform the system, cut special pensions, put the budget in order and restore people's trust in the Romanian state.
• That is why it is attacked. That is why it is threatened.
• The PSD, unable to detach itself from the networks that served its power, prefers to endanger the stability of the government and Romania's credibility in front of Europe just to protect its privileges. That means irresponsibility. This is contempt for citizens.
• PNL strongly supports Ilie Bolojan. Romania needs leaders who say “no” to pressure, not politicians who bow down to interest groups.
• To try to bring down a government because it wants to clean up the judiciary and special pensions is to attack the very essence of democracy.
• European and liberal Romania cannot be ruled by fear or threats. It is time for PSD to choose: it wants to be part of the reform or part of the problem.“

Burst attacks launched by Grindeanu

The interim president of the PSD, Sorin Grindeanu, claimed on Tuesday evening that by possibly appointing Oana Gheorghiu as deputy prime minister, we risk “compromising the relationship with the United States of America” ​​and “heading towards an irreparable diplomatic disaster in relation to our strategic partner”. Thus, Grindeanu requested the prime minister to abandon the proposal, claiming, among other things, that the Executive is “already full of anti-American voices and critics of the Trump Administration”.

Oana Gheorghiu, co-founder of the Association Gives Life, was nominated by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan to occupy the vacant post of Deputy Prime Minister, vacant after the resignation of Dragoș Anastasiu. The proposal was submitted to President Nicușor Dan on Tuesday, and on Wednesday the head of state signed the appointment decree.

During Wednesday evening, Grindeanu returned with a new attack on the Government, this time in the context of the partial withdrawal of American troops from Romania. He reproached Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and the USR Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs for how they communicated publicly on this subject. The PSD leader said that Bolojan was more concerned with appointing a deputy prime minister with “anti-American positions”, referring to Oana Gheorghiu.

“Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has no message on this topic of major public interest and contributes to the deepening of the confusion on a bilateral level. His only public concern, these days, was the designation for the position of deputy prime minister of a person who, even if he has results in the activity of civil society, deepens – through his previously expressed anti-American positions – the doubt in the relationship with the Strategic Partner”, wrote Grindeanu, in a post on Facebook.

In his Wednesday evening message, Grindeanu also criticized Andrei Muraru, Romania's ambassador to Washington, who is also Alexandru Murare's brother.

“The Ambassador of Romania to Washington, Andrei Muraru, succinctly conveys the position of a part of the US Congress. (…) The security of Romania and the Romanians cannot be treated superficially and with political amateurism. (…) In this context, I urgently request an official briefing in Parliament from the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defense, who must also present a concrete plan to ensure deterrence and defense capabilities on the Eastern Flank”, claimed the interim leader of the social democrats.